Now THAT is the icing on the cake! The stunning sponges that look too good to eat

With their elaborate sugar-spun details, these sweet treats are certainly not a piece of cake to make.

And clay-sculptor Karen Portaleo's stunning cakes are guaranteed to satisfy any sweet tooth.

Despite Karen having no formal culinary training, the lead decorator and her team from the Highland Bakery in Atlanta, Georgia, always rise to the occasion.

Good enough to eat! This intricately designed and coloured cake of a lady shows off Karen's talent

They whisk up jaw-dropping creations including life-like cakes shaped like animals, people and handbags for her guests - although they all come at a considerable price-tag.

But when your clients include Sir Elton John, Demi Moore and rapper L'il Wayne, they can afford to have their cake and eat it.

Karen has been asked to create many intricate designs.

She has turned her hand to octopuses, complete with their eight tentacles twisting around its body, to a poodle with 'fluffy hair' icing, to under the sea themed gingerbread houses, to a sumo wrestler.

Now that's a bird feeder: The Highland Bakery team can make anything possible with their sponge skills

Slice of the action: This octopus cake needed copper tubing to support the intricate tentacles

Sweet stuff: This dog cake had to be carefully shaded by Karen and her team of decorators. The designer says pet cakes are always popular

But the proof is in the pudding, and talented Karen's team prides themselves on making sure the tasty treats are not only a feast for the eyes, but also one for the lips.

The former sculptor carved out her baking career when she offered to help out her friend Stacey Eames, who opened the Highland Bakery in Atlanta in 2005.

'Upon my first visit I noticed she had no decorative items in her bakery cases, so I asked if maybe I could make a few cookies.

'That's how my career in cake decorating began,' Karen says on her website.

Really wild! Karen's creations include the tiniest of detail, from the teeth to the 'hair' in the lion's ears